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Monday, April 25, 2011

A to Z Challenge Day 21: U2

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Yesterday, I relaxed all day - finished reading The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen, started on A Kiss of Fate by Mary Jo Putney, and watched a bunch of documentaries on Prince William and Kate Middleton and their upcoming wedding this Friday. Today it's back to work - I'm way behind on book reviews, I have a few articles to write, and I need to get back to work on my novel. Should be interesting to see how much of a dent I actually make in that list.

I can't believe that in just a few more days, the A to Z blogging challenge will be over! Today's letter is U and my topic is U2 - anyone who's been reading my blog, or who knows me well, knows that U2 is my favorite band. I've loved them for years, have seen them live twice, and I'll be seeing them again on July 11th, after having tickets for almost 2 years (the concert schedule for last July was postponed after Bono's emergency back surgery and recovery). I love U2's music and I love the four men who make up U2 - Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. I'm sure we all have celebrities, whether it's musicians, writers, actors, royalty, whoever, that we feel we know personally because we've had so much exposure to them and have learned their funny little quirks and personality traits that make them unique and special. That's how I feel about the guys from U2. I respect them as people, musicians, artists, and humanitarians, and feel like I really know them.

I have so much respect for anyone who can write song lyrics (and poetry) because it's something that's just totally beyond me. Articles, essays, short stories, flash fiction, novels I can do, but song lyrics? I'm sure I would sit and stare at a blank page all day if I tried. Writing is very personal to me, but song lyrics/poetry seem even more personal - it's like opening a vein and pouring out your life's blood, or giving someone a tour of your mind or a glimpse of you soul, and that's just something I've never been able to do in the form of poetry. Bono and Edge do that in their lyrics, and that's part of what I love so much about their music. It's been the soundtrack of my life for many years - they have a song for every emotion, every action, every moment of life. I love music and have very eclectic tastes - I'll listen to just about anything - but U2 is what I listen to the most. Depending on what I'm writing and how much concentration is involved (or how focussed I am) I can't usually listen to music while I'm writing, unless it's so low I can barely hear it. But when I do play music while I'm writing, it's almost always U2. They inspire me, keep me going and make me want to be a better writer.

There's no way I could pick a favorite U2 song, but two of my favorite U2 songs happen to be songs that start with U - Unforgettable Fire and Until the End of the World. I'm posting the video for Unforgettable Fire - one, because they were so young and pretty (lol) and two, because this song is just pure emotion - the lyrics, the layers and depth of the music, are unreal. It's a masterpiece in my opinion, one of many by this incredible band.

"CarnivalThe wheels fly and the colours spinThrough alcoholRed wine that punctures the skinFace to faceIn a dry and waterless place"

6 comments:

I've been a U2 fan forever ~ saw them when I was about 11 or 12 in Belfast way back in the early 80's! Next stop NY in July :) Unforgettable Fire is awesome, it is hard to have one fav. but I do love Sapnish Eyes!

Wow, love the way you write :)Thank-you for reminding me on the infectious brilliance of U2, am listening to 'elevation' on blast as i write now!

Just to say, love you refreshing and open style and rather adore this blog. I look forward to reading more... :)

P.s. Reckon you could share your expertise with me if you have a spare moment? I'm pretty new to this whole blogging thing... but would love to have some feedback on my little blog..love or detest! Thanks ever so much :) warm wishes, Romes xxx

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